


Growth

by Aichi



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Body Horror, Established Relationship, M/M, Vomiting, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aichi/pseuds/Aichi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Strange things are starting to happen to Aichi's body.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growth

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't what I planned to write at all. Idk what happened.
> 
> It's not as bad as the tags make it sound, I swear.

It starts when Aichi notices what feels like a small hard lump on his right shoulder blade. It doesn't hurt, and isn't noticeable in a mirror, but under his fingers he can definitely feel something that wasn't there before. Figuring it'll go away by itself eventually, he leaves it alone.

A week later, an identical bump appears on his left shoulder, and then he begins to worry. Internet searches don't turn up anything helpful, and it feels silly to see a doctor over something that isn't actually causing him any pain or inconvenience. The only other thing he can think of is to ask his boyfriend to look at it.

“Mmm, you're right,” Ren says, fingers prodding gently at the offending areas on Aichi's back. “There's definitely something weird there.”

“You can't see anything though, right?” Aichi tries to quell the distress in his voice, but it's hard when he has no idea what's wrong. Those lumps could be cancerous or something for all he knows. But if they were, they wouldn't be identical on each side like that, surely. Then what if–

“Right. The skin all looks normal.” Ren hums thoughtfully. “If you're that worried, just keep an eye on it and see if it gets worse.”

 

Aichi follows Ren's advice, checking his back in the mirror every morning, running fingers over his skin and applying pressure to see if it hurts. Sometimes he thinks that maybe the bumps have gotten bigger, just slightly, but he can't be sure. For another couple of weeks there's no noticeable changes, and he starts to wonder if he's making a big deal over nothing. Maybe they're just some kind of harmless lesion. Maybe this sort of thing is totally normal. After a while, he starts checking only once a week instead of every day. When a month goes by and nothing changes, he stops checking altogether.

 

He's almost completely forgotten about it when he wakes up one morning feeling an odd pressure in his shoulders. As soon as he tries to sit up, the pressure turns to pain, blossoming over his back and down his arms. With a cry, he collapses back onto the bed, and is dimly aware of Ren stirring next to him. The two bumps on his back have never hurt before, but they're _burning_ with pain now, and they're definitely bigger, he can tell without even looking. He can feel his skin stretching over them and the immense pressure underneath, like something is trying to push its way out of him.

Ren sits up and rubs his eyes blearily. “Aichi?”

“It hurts–” Aichi gasps, before another wave of pain rolls through him and he cries out again. Rolling onto his side, he curls up, hugging his knees to his chest. He wants to stand, get to the mirror so he can see what's happening to him, but this is about all he can manage. Everything hurts too much. The burning is getting worse. _Something is moving under his skin_.

“Let me see.” Ren eases Aichi's pajama top up, despite his whimpered protests. Even the tiny movements of fabric make the fire in his skin flare up again, and he groans quietly as Ren touches him. “I know it hurts, but I have to – oh.”

“What?!” Aichi practically wails. “What is it?”

“Can you stand? You should probably see for yourself.”

“I-if you help me.”

Ren gets up first, then gently guides Aichi into a sitting position. His whole body is screaming in pain, protesting every motion, but he has to move. He has to see. Ren takes his hand – and the touch burns, but Aichi endures it – pulling him up and steadying him as he wobbles on his feet. It's hard to focus through the haze of pain, and every step makes it worse, but with Ren's help, he manages to slowly make his way to the bathroom. Fumbling momentarily with the buttons, he pulls his top off, letting it fall to the floor, and can finally see himself in the mirror.

The lumps on his shoulders are each the size of his fist, and the skin stretched over them is an angry red colour. They look like they're about to burst, and, as he watches in horror, they _move_ , pulsing slowly beneath his skin. Unable to stop himself, he leans over the sink and heaves. There's barely anything in his stomach, so what comes out is mostly bile, but the burn in his throat is nothing compared to the horrible waves of heat spreading across his back. Another look in the mirror confirms what he's afraid of – the two lumps are still growing, right before his eyes. They're big enough now that he doesn't have to turn around to see them, and he realises with increasing panic that it's only a matter of time until whatever is inside tears its way out of him.

Trembling, Aichi sinks slowly to his knees. Standing up was draining too much energy, and now he doesn't have to look at himself any more. He can still feel those _things_ moving though, their pulsations seemingly getting even stronger. A few silent tears escape him before he squeezes his eyes shut and wraps his arms around his body, retreating into himself. Maybe he can just block it all out and eventually those things will burst and whatever's inside will escape and then it'll all be over.

“Aichi.” He opens his eyes again to see Ren crouching next to him. “It's gonna be okay.”

“What's happening to me?” Aichi's voice is a barely-audible whimper.

“I don't know,” Ren admits, “but it'll be fine. I'll take care of you.”

“I'm scared.”

Ren's hand finds his and squeezes. It hurts, but Aichi squeezes back.

“Just breathe.”

Aichi closes his eyes. _Just breathe_. _In and out_. It's easier said than done, but he tries his best to focus on the slow rise and fall of his chest and the feeling of his hand in Ren's. Nothing seems to hurt as much as it did before, but maybe it's just that he's becoming numb to it. The fire under his skin is still there, burning hotter than ever, and he can still feel the swelling, growing bigger and bigger. He can't imagine how huge they must look now. Gritting his teeth, he braces himself, because it can't be much longer now until–

His skin finally tears – and he screams, even though the relief of the pressure lifting far outweighs the pain – and he feels something _unfurl_ behind him.

“Oh,” he hears Ren say.

It takes Aichi a few moments to collect his thoughts. Everything feel surreal somehow. He's not sure what he'd expected to happen – some sort of horrific parasite crawling out of him, maybe, but there's nothing. Something slick and wet is dripping down his back, and the spots that were previously burning now just feel… _strange_. The skin around them still hurts, but it's a dull sort of ache that's barely noticeable beneath this new sensation he's feeling. It's difficult to describe. Suddenly, he can _feel_ so _much_ , like he has an extra set of limbs, like–

“Aichi.” Ren's voice yanks him back to reality. “Stand up. You have to see this.”

He opens his eyes and stands, Ren rising with him. Blood drips around his feet, and he notices it's splattered over the wall as well. Even Ren has some on him, but he's smiling, and that alone is enough to instil a sense of relief in Aichi. He turns to face the mirror.

Sprouting from his back are a pair of golden, feathered wings, that might have actually been beautiful if they weren't wet with blood. Aichi stares for a moment – in shock, or awe, or amazement, or all three – and then slowly raises a tentative hand to touch one. When he does, he can _feel_ it, not just through his fingers, but in the feathers themselves. They're part of his body. He can feel the blood trickling down them too, the dampness making them cling together uncomfortably. Experimentally, he stretches one out, and finds it surprisingly easy to control, just like having an extra set of arms. It doesn't reach much further than his arm either, even fully extended.

“They'd probably be too small to fly with, huh,” Ren observes.

“I suppose so,” Aichi says, not really listening. He folds the wing against his back, then extends it again, and does the same for the other. They respond to his thoughts so effortlessly, like they've always been a part of him, but actually seeing them do so is strange and surreal, and the extra source of sensory input they provide is almost overwhelming.

“Can I touch?” Ren asks. He doesn't even try to hide the excitement in his tone.

Aichi nods, extending his left wing – _his_ wing, he thinks, that's going to take a bit of getting used to – and Ren reaches out to stroke along the leading edge. The feeling is completely different to Aichi touching it himself, and he shudders, letting out a quiet whimper.

Ren pulls his hand back. “Did that hurt?”

“N-no!” Aichi yelps, maybe a bit too quickly. “It feels – it feels nice. Do it again. Please.”

“Oh?” Ren smirks, and brings both hands up to touch the wing again, trailing his fingers over the edge and through the feathers. To Aichi, it feels almost like having his hair stroked, but the novelty of the sensation makes it that much more exciting, and the touches tease small noises of satisfaction out of him. The urge to press himself back against Ren is strong, but his skin is torn and bloody and still aching and he doesn't want to make any more of a mess than he already has.

“Maybe I should, umm, get cleaned up,” he suggests, “and figure out what to do about this.” Seeing Ren's pouting expression in the mirror, he adds, “You can touch them again later.”

 

Aichi doesn't leave the house for a week. He can't. He's still not sure how he's going to explain this whole thing to his friends, let alone strangers on the street. During that time, the torn skin heals remarkably quickly around the base of his wings, leaving them looking like they were always a natural part of his body. Admittedly, he's quickly growing attached to them and the way they move and feel. It _does_ seem natural, in a way, even though he still has no idea where they came from or why. Ren loves touching them and playing with them too, and Aichi lets him, because it feels surprisingly good. Eventually though, he's going to have to actually face the problem his new wings create. He needs to go outside _sometime_.

 

That time comes sooner than he expected when, a few days later, Kamui texts him excitedly about a shop tournament happening at Card Capital #2. It would be easy to just text back that he's sorry, but he's ill and can't make it, but he can't bring himself to outright lie to Kamui like that. Besides, that wouldn't solve the overall problem. Luckily, it's cold out, which gives him an excuse to wear a coat.

“Are you sure?” Ren asks.

“I'm sure.” Aichi pulls the bandages tighter around his chest, trapping his wings flat against his back. It makes breathing a bit tight, but when he pulls his shirt and coat on over it, it's practically impossible to tell anything is amiss. “I don't want to tell anyone yet. I haven't figured out what to say.”

“ _Hey guys, check this out_!” Ren spreads his arms in an imitation of Aichi's wings. “Like that. Easy.”

“I don't think it's that easy.” Aichi wishes it was. Maybe that's what it will come to eventually.

For now though, this is the best he can do.

 

The tournament goes well, and no one notices anything strange. Aichi himself almost forgets he has anything to hide. Kai shows up, unexpectedly, and Aichi considers pulling him aside and saying _I have something to show you_ , because if there's one person he wants to tell, it's _him_ \- but he can't make himself do it. It's easier this way, he tells himself, and Ren, later. No one else has to worry about him – that's the only thing that telling anyone would accomplish. He can deal with this on his own.

He goes to the next shop tournament as well, and does the same thing. _It's easier_. He keeps telling himself that.

 

Over time, it becomes a habit, binding his wings before he goes out, only letting them show when he's home alone with Ren. He grows accustomed to them, and to hiding them, and to avoiding the issue of explaining them altogether.

 

It's almost a year later when an unusual bump begins to form at the base of Aichi's spine.

**Author's Note:**

> ?????????????????????
> 
> Is this the beginning of something else???? Maybe?????? Who knows??? Not me.
> 
>  
> 
> (Semi-relevant sidenote: don't bind your chest with bandages, kids. It's bad for you.)


End file.
